


What To Do During A Flood

by universityofwhales



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Banter, Biblical References, Gen, but he's Crawly here, how do friendships work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 11:09:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19294516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/universityofwhales/pseuds/universityofwhales
Summary: And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more. - Genesis 8:11-12This is an account of how the dove spent those seven days with the help of a certain snake.





	What To Do During A Flood

**Author's Note:**

> Uuuuugh, my fingers hurt from typing so much. But this was an idea I had to get on here, Aziraphale being the dove that brings the olive branch to Noah. Aziraphale would be a dove, and I am wiling to shove this headcanon down everyone's throats.

Noah and his sons looked at the dove perched at the window. For 40 days and 40 nights, God had sent a great flood, leaving the family locked up in a giant ark with a pair of every animal they could stuff inside. When Noah released the dove, telling it to find any evidence of land that had emerged from the waters, the dove was more than happy to fly off into the sky. Better than having to share a cramped space with the other birds, he thought. And imagine the dove's joy at finding land, with plants and trees already starting to grow back. Finally, true freedom wasn't too far behind! So he plucked a branch from an olive tree and flew his way back, perching on the window sill and beaming with pride.

"This is wonderful! There is land again!"

"God has blessed us!"

"We must set our course!"

The sons were abuzz with excitement. Noah gave a warm smile as he reached a finger out to the bird. He stepped onto it and was carried back to his cage. "Excellent work, little one." Obediently, the dove stepped into his home, and Noah closed and locked the door behind him. "Now get some rest. I'm sure your journey has exhausted you."

Noah was right. If this dove had to flap his wings one more time, they might fall off. He got himself comfy in his straw nest as the men made their leave, talking excitedly about this new discovery. Once the door closed, the dove was alone, with only the sun's beams coming in through the window as his light.

The bird sighed, letting his muscles relax. "Back in here, I see. They could have at least given me a bigger cage."

"At least you've got your own cage."

His body tensed up at the voice. He should have known _he_ was here too. The dove could see something moving down from a nearby shelf onto the table the cage was sitting on.

"I've had to share a room with all the other reptiles since this bloody voyage started." The voice continued. "Bunch of lizards pushing me around. Turns out they don't believe in personal space."

That's a funny thing for a demon to say, the bird thought to himself. But it continued to stare straight ahead as the snake slithered up to the cage.

"Don't get me started on the chameleons and the frogs. Every feeding time, tongues are flying all over the place. I got hit by one once! Disgusting, slimy things."

Just ignore him, perhaps he'll go away if you don't respond to anything he says.

The snake started making its way around the cage, inspecting it. "Is this iron? Looks pretty sturdy. Don't think you can get out of here without some outside help."

"Crawly, that won't be necessary." The dove finally spoke to the snake. "I'm content sitting in here until they release me again."

"You're content?" The snake slithered to the door of the cage. "Aziraphale, you finally got some fresh air after 40 days and 40 nights of being locked in here, and you're content to sit in that tiny cage again?"

"Yes. And I will stay in here until Noah or one of his family releases me again." Aziraphale said, keeping statements straight to the point.

"Even if it turns out to be another 40 days of sailing?"

This made Aziraphale falter for a moment. Even if he had been on this Earth for 1000 years now, 40 days was still a long time to wait. He could already feel the claustrophobia setting in. "Patience is a virtue, Crawly. You wouldn't understand the satisfaction of receiving something you've waited a long time for."

"Really now." The snake hummed as he looked over the door. "So if this door happened to open by itself, you would still sit in there like the good little dove you are."

"Yes. I am certain." Aziraphale closed his eyes and looked away, deciding to ignore the snake from now on. He was a demon, and demons tempt people. It was what Crawly was taught to do, and Aziraphale couldn't fault him for just doing his job. But he really was foolish if he thought he could tempt an angel.

A tiny squeak sounded out from the door. Aziraphale opened his eyes and looked to see it slowly open, iron rubbing against iron as it moved inch by inch. His feathers ruffled as the snake began to slide inside the cage. "Oh. Would you look at that. It opened." If snakes could smirk, Crawly would be doing so right now. Especially now that he was moving around the bird, looking it up and down as Aziraphale did his best not to shiver.

"What a coincidence that it opened as soon as we started talking about it." Aziraphale said.

"Yesss, I agree."

The snake had circled itself around the dove now. Aziraphale was trapped by the ring of scales, and his claustrophobia grew stronger. The snake inched closer, but Aziraphale still stayed in the center of the ring, not making a move.

"Weren't you just complaining about being stuck in a space with others for an extended period of time? Rather strange that you choose to put yourself in here with me."

"'Especially considering what we are'." Crawly impersonated Aziraphale's proper way of speaking and chuckled. "That's what you were going to say, right?"

"Well." It was hard not to admit Crawly was right, but he swallowed down his words. "Even if you are going to take up this much space, I'm not moving from my post."

"Your post?" Crawly raised his head to look straight into Aziraphale's eyes. "If I remember correctly, you were just complaining about how you deserve a bigger cage to yourself. Although who could blame you for thinking that, right?"

No matter how hard Aziraphale tried, it was impossible to look away from that stare. It was mesmerizing somehow. Perhaps it was the gold color, or how the snake stared at him with such intensity. "That was just a passing thought. Now that I've had time to rethink my situation," he said, "I retract my original statement."

"You say that." Crawly began to pace again, moving around to the dove's back. "But somehow, I don't think that's it. But fine. If you say you're content here, no one will stop you."

"Thank you."

"Although."

Aziraphale's muscles turned to ice. He just felt Crawly breath on his neck. Why was he so close? Oh Lord, this was it. This was his plan all along, to sneak in here and dispose of the angel away from prying eyes.

"That also means no one will stop me from...other activities." He flicked his tongue on Aziraphale's skin.

With a yelp, Aziraphale shot through the open cage door, beating his wings as hard as he could and flying up to the top of a cabinet. As soon as he landed, panting as his heart pounded, he heard something from the cage. It started light and quiet, but quickly turned into an entertained laugh. Still shaken, Aziraphale turned to see Crawly. But he wasn't a snake anymore. He must have changed into his human form during Aziraphale's panic. Swiping a strand of red hair behind his ear, Crawly walked to the cabinet the dove was resting on.

"Knew that would get you out. How does it feel to actually have space to move around?"

The pieces fit in Aziraphale's head, and when the puzzle was complete, he glared at the demon. "You. You tricked me! I thought you were going to-"

"Kill you? Nah." He looked up, a cheeky grin on his face. "I just wanted to get you out of there so we could talk properly."

"Talk 'properly'?" Aziraphale said, confused. "We were talking just fine a minute ago, before you decided to invade my personal space."

"Yeah, I suppose." Crawly shrugged. "But when I say 'properly', I mean in our human forms. Being animals is fine, but there's something about the human form that gives a conversation...meaning."

He blinked. This little talk was something more complicated than Aziraphale thought it was going to be. "You searched me out and nearly gave me a heart attack just so we can have a conversation?"

"Well, when you put it that way, it does sound like a lot of effort for a chat, doesn't it?"

Just send him away, thought Aziraphale. Those casual conversations with Crawly before the flood were stretching his boundaries far enough as they were. But now he wants them here? On a vessel that was commissioned by God Themselves?

"You are so strange." Aziraphale finally replied.

Crawly's expression faltered for a split second, but the smirk returned. "Would you say that's good or bad?"

This made Aziraphale think for a minute. The correct answer was that being strange is wrong. They're hereditary enemies. Crawly was a part of the rebellion against Heaven, so like all the other fallen angels, he should have a hatred for Heaven and all its angels. Aziraphale should say yes, he is strange for talking to an angel like they had no differences between them. And yet, Aziraphale didn't see anything wrong with this situation. They were the only two supernatural entities on Earth, after all. It would be lonely to stick to each other's sides, never crossing the lines and taking measures to ensure they would never cross paths. But they were from two different sides. Anything even resembling an acquaintanceship should be impossible. Just the fact they were on friendly terms with each other like this was wrong. He had the strong urge to push Crawly back, tell him that for his own good, they shouldn't be around each other. But when Aziraphale thought that, something in his chest hurt, like a shard of glass was being yanked out of him. The angel didn't know what to call this feeling, and it frustrated him to no end.

"Can I present my argument?"

Aziraphale didn't realize how lost he was in his head until he was pulled back to reality by Crawly's voice. He blinked and tilted his head. "And what is your argument?"

Crawly smiled, reached a hand into a pocket in his robe, and pulled out a bunch of green grapes. "I have snacks."

Aziraphale could almost laugh. "We don't need food to sustain ourselves."

"I know, but have you actually tried eating?" He picked a grape and looked it over. "Humans have these little bumps on their tongue that let them taste food. And when they taste food, they figure out what kind of flavor they have. Certain humans like certain flavors." He popped it into his mouth and chewed. A satisfied grin was creeping onto his face.

Aziraphale looked away, pretending to look uninterested. But still, there was something inviting about those grapes. They did look satisfying to put in your mouth. "And, um. What kind of 'flavor' do those grapes have?"

Crawly's eyes glimmered. Oh lord, Aziraphale fell for a trap. "You can try them for yourself, if you'd like." He picked another grape from the bunch. "But you really should experience them with a human tongue for the whole experience. Animal tongues aren't as advanced as-"

There was a flash of light, causing Crawly to bring a hand to his eyes to shield them from the glow. It was so powerful and warm, like the sun had manifested itself into the Ark. A few seconds passed, and the light faded. When Crawly put his hand down, an angel with light blonde hair and blue eyes was frowning at him. The demon smiled and held out the bunch of grapes. "There. Now I can take you seriously."

"You weren't taking me seriously before?" Aziraphale slowly took the bunch of grapes and spun it between his thumb and forefinger, examining each of the small fruits thoroughly for anything that was slightly off. But there was no demonic energy at all. These were perfectly normal grapes.

"I told you. Human conversations have more impact than animal ones."

"Still don't see what was wrong with our other forms." He mumbled as he carefully pulled a grape from its branch. Squinting, he stared at it. "So what should I expect from these...flavors?"

"It depends on what you're eating. But with grapes, all the flavor is inside with the juices. Once you give it a bite, you'll see what I mean."

Without looking, Aziraphale could tell a pair of snake eyes were focused directly at him. They were watching him slowly open his mouth, place the grape on his tongue, and closed it. He let the grape roll on his tongue, only feeling something like water on a marble. With doubt in his eyes, he looked at Crawly.

"Give it a bite. That's what teeth are for."

Fine, let's play his game. Aziraphale did as he was told and took a bite, letting the grape's juices fall onto his tongue. His eyes widened, and he could only stand there, frozen by the sensation of experiencing taste for the first time.

"What. What is." It was difficult to find words to describe what was happening. It was like a bolt of lighting had struck his mouth. The juices lightly burned his tongue, but it was a pleasant burn.

"Good, yeah?" Crawly looked on, clearly entertained watching the angel what was happening.

"Good." That was a satisfactory way of describing what Aziraphale was tasting. Good. "Yes, grapes are quite good." He swallowed, and all too soon, the flavor was starting to fade. "Where did you find these?"

"Found an extra bunch lying around in food storage."

Panic found its home again in Aziraphale's voice. "But that's stealing, Crawly!"

"Oh, relax, angel." He smiled as he held out a grape for Aziraphale. "Nobody's gonna notice one little bunch of grapes has gone missing."

Great. Aziraphale had tasted food for the very first time, and he just found out it was stolen. By a demon, no less! But as he looked at the grape in Crawly's hand, looking so delightful and inviting, saliva started to build up in his mouth. Wait, was he salivating? He wasn't aware angels could do that! "You couldn't have waited for us to reach dry land before making me try food?"

"No."

It was such a straight and simple answer, Aziraphale faltered for a moment.

Crawly continued. "I just think trying new things is a part of what being human is all about. And we are trying to be human, are we? And what better way to start doing that than to see what the fuss is about food." He continued to hold the grape to Aziraphale, clearly waiting for something.

Aziraphale had to admit that Crawly had a point. If he was going to start living here, he had to know what human life was all about. Once he understood how humans thought and what their needs were, it would be easier to perform miracles that would truly benefit them. But why is his enemy giving him advice like that? It confused Aziraphale greatly. But oh dear, grapes were so tasty. He began to think of other foods he saw humans eating before the flood. Since they invented fire, they had gotten quite good at killing animals and roasting them over the flames. The smells the meat would give off did seem inviting. Others tended to gather when a particularly large prize was caught. No wonder they were always eager to go hunting. And with agriculture, humans were growing food out of the ground in large numbers. Aziraphale couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to bite into one of those plants like he had seen the mortals doing before. What kind of flavors would he experience then?

He couldn't take it anymore. The grape was snatched out of Crawly's hand and in Aziraphale's mouth before he could respond. A warm smile spread across Aziraphale's face as he experienced the flavor again and he closed his eyes to focus on the sensation.

Crawly chuckled as he watched. "You know, I hear they make this kind of drink with grapes."

Oh no. He forgot about drinks. Those were also going to be things Aziraphale had to try. He turned his head to Crawly, paying close attention to his words. "Really? What do they call it?"

"Wine." Crawly's voice brightened. Finally, he was getting some proper attention. "What they do is, they squish up the grapes and then they let it sit in a barrel for a few days. Or weeks. Whatever. It sits in there for a very long time."

"But wouldn't it go bad?"

"It doesn't. Somehow. I don't understand it myself. But humans usually drink it when they're celebrating something."

"Hm." This made Aziraphale imagine himself clinking a glass with a companion. The thought made his smile brighten. "Perhaps I shall seek it out when we get to shore. Give that a taste."

Crawly nodded and looked out the window. There was water as far as the eye could see. "That may be a few more days yet. You'll need the patience of-"

"An angel?" Aziraphale swallowed and grinned. "Oh, don't worry. I have plenty of patience."

Crawly returned the smile with his own. "Yeah. Guess you wouldn't much of an angel if you weren't patient, right?"

He nodded. Yes, just be a little patient. Once the ark reaches land, Aziraphale was free to explore the world again. With all these new opportunities presented to him, his excitement had no limit.

Oh, he almost forgot. It's only the polite thing to do. "Crawly?"

"Hm?"

He hesitated. This was so surreal, he must be dreaming. "Thank you. For your offering, I mean."

Aziraphale could swear he saw something sparkle in Crawly's eyes. Must just be the sun, it was awfully bright. Eventually, Crawly answered in a quiet mumble. "Yeah. You're welcome."

* * *

 

For the first time since his arrival on Earth, Aziraphale started counting the number of times the sun set over the horizon. Since he put himself back in that cage, all he could do to pass the time was look out the window and watch the waves of the flood waters. Sometimes, he would look at the sky, bright blue with small white clouds peppered throughout, and think of his time spent outside. When Noah had released him, it was for a clear mission. Find evidence of land that could sustain life, and bring it back. And Aziraphale did as he was told, eventually finding land and a tall olive tree that stood strong on it. Of course he was satisfied with picking a branch from the tree and flying back to the ark with his find. That was his task, and he had completed it. It was all about giving Noah and his family hope, a way to show them that their time at sea was nearly at an end.

It was so hard to leave that island. Finally feeling the breeze on his feathers, having room to stretch his wings and fly however much he wanted, looking around and seeing green as far as the eye could see. If he didn't have his task, Aziraphale would have stayed there. Probably lay on the ground and look up at the marvelous blue of the sky. But he had a job to do. And besides, he would have plenty of time for sunbathing once the ark had ended its journey. It was just a peek into what was waiting for them beyond the sea.  
But it wasn't as if Aziraphale was the only one in that room for the whole trip. Every once in a while, Noah or one of his sons would come in and lay a bowl of seed out for the dove. Even though Aziraphale didn't eat the seed before, his experience with grapes piqued his curiosity on different foods. He tried the birdseed, but it wasn't to his liking. He could barely taste anything. Disappointing. If doves could speak without humans screaming in fear or doubting their sanity, Aziraphale would ask for some fruit instead of plain seeds.

At least Crawly offered what Aziraphale was craving. Since the day Aziraphale had come back, Crawly would sneak into the room every afternoon, having something new for the angel to try. His only request was that they had time to chat while they ate. Aziraphale hesitated at first, but agreed to the deal. Crawly seemed happy to hear that.

"I'd go mad if I didn't have anyone else to talk to. Well, someone intelligent," he said.

On the second day, he brought some pears. Aziraphale fell in love at first bite, they were so soft. Crawly didn't like them because they were too soft. 

"Is this something that we won't be able to agree on?" Aziraphale asked.

"Yeah." Crawly said. "But that's what makes our talks interesting, isn't it? Be boring if we had the same opinion on everything."

On day three, they both agreed blueberries were quite delicious.

They didn't say the same thing about cranberries on the fourth day. Crawly said they tasted bitter. Aziraphale decided he didn't like bitter things. "Bet you won't say that after having coffee," Crawly said.

Crawly was late on the fifth day. When he explained that he had sneaked into the kitchen for today's snack, Aziraphale was shocked.

"What if you were caught?"

"I didn't, did I? Don't worry about it."

Of course, saying that didn't stop Aziraphale from worrying. But after some freshly baked bread, the angel had completely forgotten about it.

And on the sixth day, they had bananas. When Aziraphale took his first bite, peel and all, it took every ounce of strength for Crawly not to laugh himself to tears.

"I don't know if I like this," Aziraphale commented with an innocent expression. "Rather chewy."

"Yeah, that's what happens when you don't peel it first." Crawly said through giggle fits. "It's a good thing I didn't bring walnuts. You'd crack your teeth on them, wouldn't you?"

"Perhaps you could have told me about the peel before I bit into it, you serpent!"

This only made Crawly laugh harder. Aziraphale frowned and looked away, cheeks burning red. This is what he gets for diving into things before completely understanding them first.

* * *

 

"What have you found today?" asked Aziraphale.

"It's called an orange." Crawly handed it over to the angel.

Aziraphale was just about to take a bite when a hand snatched his treat away from him.

"You gotta peel it first, angel." He scratched at the surface with a nail and dug into it. Juice sprayed out, barely missing Crawly's robes and dripping onto the floor. The two looked at the small puddle before Crawly spoke again. "Yeah, there's a lot of juice in these things." Forgetting the mess (he'll just miracle it away later), he started peeling the orange. Aziraphale looked on with great interest as the peels fell to the floor.

It was the seventh day since Aziraphale returned to the ark, and Crawly had ran late again. When Aziraphale asked why, he didn't get a straight answer. The only thing Crawly said was that he 'got distracted'. When he said that, Aziraphale couldn't help but notice a hint of something in his eyes, though he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. Whatever it was, it made Crawly look away for a moment. But once they changed into their human forms and sat on the floor by the window, which had become their usual spot, Crawly started to buck up. Aziraphale always noticed this when they were chatting. Crawly's whole body relaxed, and it was easy to get a smirk out of him once the conversation gained momentum. Even as he was peeling Aziraphale's orange, he had a smile on his face.

"Okay." Once the peels had been taken care of, fading away into nothing (Crawly tried to throw the banana peels in the ocean yesterday, but Aziraphale protested, saying that was littering), Crawly split the orange in half and handed one to Aziraphale. "Just take it one slice at a time."

Aziraphale nodded and gladly took his half. Ever so carefully, he extracted a slice from the orange and bit into it. It was acidic, burning his tongue ever so slightly. But it was so sweet and refreshing. Aziraphale started to think sweet foods were his favorite, like the pear he had a few days before. Perhaps he should ask Crawly if he could find another pear for him. Pears were quite nice, and Crawly knew where to find them on the ark, so it would make sense to-

Aziraphale paused. Ask a demon for a favor? What was he thinking? He swallowed the slice and stared at the rest of the slices in his hand, frowning. Crawly stopped just as he was about to have one of his pieces and raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong? Don't like it? I made sure they were ripe."

"Hm? Oh!" Aziraphale shook his head. "No, these are wonderful. Thank you for fetching one for me."

Crawly only nodded, popping a slice into his mouth.

"Sorry." He sighed. "I've just been thinking."

"Considering you're stuck in here by yourself most of the time, that doesn't surprise me."

"Why are you being kind to me?"

That question must have struck something sensitive in Crawly, because he froze with a grimace on his face. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, bringing food to someone as gifts? With supposedly no ulterior motive other than to have some pleasant conversation? To an angel, no less! I beg your pardon, but it doesn't make sense how a demon like you could-"

"Oh. Oh yeah!" Crawly raised his brows, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Let me just strike a conversation with good ol' Noah, eh? While he's checking the snakes, I'll just say hello!" He waved his hand in a dramatic gesture. "'Love what you've done with the place, absolutely marvelous! Now how about you stop screaming and we can chat about the weather!'" With his act done, he looked at Aziraphale with no sense of humor in his expression. "Because that's just something snakes can do is strike up conversation."

"You don't have to be a snake." Aziraphale returned Crawly's unamused face with his own. "I remember you saying real conversations come from human beings."

"Wouldn't that be worse? Turns out there's a stowaway on their sacred vessel! Probably throw me overboard."

"I'm sure Noah wouldn't do that."

"Really? So if he walked into the room right now and saw us like this, he wouldn't bat an eye."

This made Azriraphale pause. "I don't think he would be that casual about the situation."

"You're too optimistic. And besides," Crawly puts down his half of the orange on his lap, "you said something about the flood being God's punishment, right? What makes this one family special, eh? How come everybody else had to die?"

The angel took a deep breath. "The humans were corrupted, committing sinful acts everywhere they could without any shame or worry of the consequences."

"Then what were the children's sins? Being rude to their parents? They're kids, for hell's sake!"

"Please watch your language." Aziraphale's hand trembled. The orange was slowly getting crushed, juice leaking out and dripping off of his wrist.

"Don't tell me you agree with Them."

Aziraphale's muscles turned to ice at Crawly's voice. Lord, he had never heard a voice with so much hatred and contempt for anything. If Gabriel or the other Archangels were here, they would say yes, God created everything, so what They say is for the ultimate good. That was the 'correct' answer. But if Aziraphale said that, Crawly would swear him out and never speak to him again. And if Aziraphale was going to be honest, he didn't want the flood to start. He tried to speak his mind, but everyone else had shut him down before he could go far with his argument. If God wanted this flood, They would get it, no questions asked. A sudden urge to spill out everything Aziraphale had thought and tried to do swept over him. Since Crawly was a demon, he shouldn't care what an angel's opinion was. But here he was, opening his mouth and saying what was locked up in his mind.

"I hated the idea. I assure you that if it were up to me, I would make the ark large enough to carry every living thing in the land on it. If I had the power to, maybe even stop the flood all together."

Crawly blinked and looked on at Aziraphale, going quiet. The hostility radiating off of him started to fade away. It became something more tender as he spoke. "Sorry. Shouldn't have assumed you were-"

"Crawly, I don't understand." The orange was forgotten, falling from Aziraphale's hand onto the floor next to Crawly's discarded half. "We have laws of what we are to each other. You know I'm an angel, and I know you're a demon. We're supposed to despise each other and try to sabotage every effort we have on blessing or corrupting the mortals. When I was given a body and sent to Earth with my mission, I thought that was going to be it. Nothing complicated at all."

"Until I came in, right?" Crawly interrupted.

Aziraphale hesitated to give his answer, but he already came this far. No sense in hiding the truth. "Yes. Until you came in."

"Have you even met another demon before me?"

This brought back a memory Aziraphale had forgotten he had. He looked upward as he reminisced. "It was shortly after the rebellion. A demon had sneaked back into heaven. Brought a torch of hellfire with him." He remembered the manic grin the intruder had. Just looking at their posture, the way they swung the torch madly and without abandon at any angel who dared to approach them, they were ready to burn anything and anyone who dared to breathe in their direction. "He burned a cherub before they doused him with holy water. A life for a life, as they say."

"A life for a life." Crawly echoed. He leaned back on the wall and looked upward with Aziraphale. "Were you scared?"

"Terrified. I had my sword with me, but even then, the thought of having to use it sent a cold through me." The angel hugged his knees. He shouldn't be saying this at all. But here he was, telling Crawly everything that popped into his head as he told his story. "If I had to speak the truth, I don't know if I could do it. Taking something as precious as a life sounds..." He paused, trying to think of a word.

"Same here." Crawly spoke with so much softness, it took Aziraphale by surprise. He wasn't aware demons could have this tone of voice. "If someone tied up an angel and told me to do whatever I pleased with them, I'd probably just let them go. Get sent to a circle of hell for it, but that's what I'd get for being a coward."

"Hm." Aziraphale rested his chin on his knees. "So it would seem we're both cowards."

"Mmhm."

The two cowards sat in silence, having their own reflections on the conversation. They were more similar than Aziraphale first thought. Before, he would have thought Crawly as just some fly to swat away when he got too close for comfort. But after taking in his company, sharing these past few days with him trapped on a massive boat with no other contact, Aziraphale was much more welcoming to his presence. After all, Crawly was willing to encourage him to try food, and Aziraphale had fallen in love with them. He couldn't wait to try everything he could get his hands on once they were free.

"So," Crawly finally said, "Hell sends a demon who won't kill an angel. And Heaven sends an angel who won't kill a demon."

"Yes. It seems so."

The two turned to look at each other. Suddenly, Crawly burst out laughing, greatly entertained. Aziraphale looked on, greatly confused as Crawly spoke through giggles. "Could you imagine? If we were actually qualified for our jobs, we would be at each other throats!"

A stifled giggle escaped Aziraphale's lips. His shoulders bobbed as he silently chuckled. "Yes, we-we wouldn't be having these kinds of chats and sharing food between us, would we?"

"Exactly!" Crawly continued laughing, holding his head in his hand.

Aziraphale shouldn't be laughing. That was the wrong way to act around a demon. But he couldn't help it. When he laughed, it was like a weight was lifted off his chest. For the first time since that talk at the garden, he felt relaxed. And it was thanks to Crawly.

Footsteps heading down the hall and coming towards the door made the two freeze. Crawly looked to the door, alarmed. "You should probably head back to your cage."

"And you should probably go hide somewhere." Aziraphale returned, completely sober now.

Crawly nodded and stood up.

With a flash of brilliant light, the angel replaced his form with a dove's. Quickly, he flew back to his cage and hopped in, shutting the door behind him with his beak. In the corner of his eye, a tail slipped into the corner of a high shelf. Aziraphale took a deep breath to calm himself, and the door opened.

"I could have sworn I heard something," said a bearded man as he walked in. Aziraphale recognized him as Ham, one of Noah's sons. In his hand was a small bowl of water.

Another man with a large beard, more unkempt than his brother's, walked in after him. This one was Shem. "You must be hearing things. No one in here but the dove."

Ham frowns and shakes his head. "I'll be glad to get off this boat. I must be going mad." He looks to the dove and opens the cage door. Being the loyal dove he was, Aziraphale stays still and watches Ham place the bowl next to him. After a small scratch on the bird's head, he closes the door again.

"Just got to free him and see where he flies." Shem crossed his arms and looked out the window with a thoughtful gaze. "That's why Father is letting it go again."

"You think it even remembers where it was?" Ham looked at the bird with skepticism. Aziraphale couldn't help but feel offended by this question. Of course he remembered! Just go towards where the sun sets every evening.

Wait. Were they planning to let him out again? Suddenly, the dove felt his body vibrate with energy. Finally, he was going to get another chance to spread his wings and fly over the open water!

"I'm sure. They always fly south when it gets cold, and north when it gets hot. They've got a great sense of direction."

Ham turned and looked at his brother with the same look of uncertainty. "How does a bird know what's north and what's south?"

"You know where west and east is by looking at the sun. Anyone can deduce it from there."

Oh, just let him out now! No need for Noah to do it himself, just do it right here and now! Open the cage and let him fly out the window!

"Come on," Shem said as he headed to the door again. "We must give the other animals their water."

Ham sighed and followed close behind. "Right." He closed the door behind him, and the dove was alone again.

Well, he wasn't completely alone. Up above on a shelf, a snake peeked his head out from behind a pot. "It's a good thing humans never bother to look up."

"Yes. It's amazing they didn't notice the discarded orange pieces on the floor, either."

"Yes, what a miracle that was." Crawly said. Noticing a puddle of juice on the floor he missed, he tapped his tail on the wood of the table. The juice evaporated, leaving no trace it was ever there.

"But Crawly! Did you hear that!" Aziraphale looked to the snake with great excitement. "They're going to let me fly outside again!"

"Yeah, I heard." Slowly, the snake started to make his descent back to the table Aziraphale's cage was sitting on. "That's why I was running late, you see. I overheard them talking about their plans and I listened in."

He blinked. "You already knew? Then why didn't you tell me?"

Crawly slithered his way over. "Slipped my mind. I was gonna tell you eventually, but then we got distracted with other topics."

"Yes. Distracted." It made Aziraphale think back to when he asked Crawly why he was running late before. All he said was that he got distracted. And he had this strange look in his eyes. If Aziraphale knew his human emotions well enough, it looked almost like disappointment. But that was impossible. How could a demon feel disappointed about an angel leaving? "At least I'll finally have my chance to spread my wings again. I was getting awfully claustrophobic in here."

"Oh, I see." Crawly said with a tinge of sarcasm. "So all the times I coaxed you out of there didn't count."

Aziraphale straightened up, and he was so glad birds weren't capable of blushing. "Oh no! I appreciated your visits very much! It's just...I spend only thirty minutes out there with you a day."

"Oh yeah." The sarcasm was gone. Instead, it was replaced with a more direct tone. "Guess I just gave you a quick recess, didn't I?"

"Yes. But it was better than spending 24 hours every day in this dreadful thing. I'll gladly take a half hour of freedom over-"

"You know." Crawly interrupted. "It doesn't have to be a half hour of freedom every day."

Aziraphale blinked, stepping closer to the bars towards Crawly. "What do you mean?"

"You're getting a chance at true freedom, Aziraphale." Crawly looked intently at Aziraphale. It was hard for the angel to look away. Something in the snake's eyes had frozen him in place. He had no choice but to look at him. "Staying in a cage is no way to ssspend your time. You already know there's land, with life already thriving on it. Once you're let go again, are you really going to pluck another branch from a tree and head back to thisss prison?"

A shiver ran up Aziraphale's spine. It was a struggle to get his argument out for the serpent to hear. The words almost didn't form correctly. "Well. Why wouldn't I? I've done it before, I can do it again."

A small chuckle escaped from Crawly's lips. "I can hear it, angel. You're hesitating."

"I'm not! I just. Just." His voice cracked, but he cleared his throat and continued. "I don't see why you're speaking to me this way. It would make sense if I came back here, wouldn't it? Especially knowing there is a demon on board the ark, probably waiting for the perfect moment to tempt Noah and his poor family!"

"You're worried about this family of eight, eh?"

"Yes. And I would appreciate you not saying anything more on this subject."

Judging by the pause that followed, Aziraphale would have been happy to say he had won this argument. But then Crawly opened his mouth again.

"That's a shame for the people on land, then."

Aziraphale tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," he continued, "it's a shame for the people who managed to escape the flood. You say only Noah and his family would be the only ones who survive, but there's always the lucky ones."

"How can anyone survive a flood that lasts 40 days and nights?"

"Oh, it's a very slim chance. But even the tiniest bit of luck can entirely change someone's fortunes. And whoever is lucky enough to survive the flood might also be lucky enough to find land."

As Aziraphale listened to this, he thought of Adam and Eve leaving the garden. They were lucky to have their child outside the safety of the walls, didn't they? And people, in general, were generally good at adapting to drastic situations. If you left a human stranded on an island with absolutely nothing to assist them, they could still thrive on the resources given to them. Trees bore fruit, all you had to do was climb them. One could use a very sharp stick to stab at the fish in the water. And it didn't take a genius to make a fire to cook that fish.

Hm, roasted fish. Might have to give that a try and see what the big deal was.

"It would be dreadful," Crawly said. "If they couldn't manage to rebuild civilization by themselves. It takes a lot of effort to get even a remnant of what life was like before the flood destroyed their homes." Aziraphale could practically hear the smirk in his voice. He was digging into him, and he knew it was working. "It would take a miracle or two to get it up and running like it did before."

Aziraphale finally managed the strength to look away. But it was only for a split second, just to get a break from those eyes that seemed to bore into him. He looked back at him again. "You don't think the family would be upset if I...got lost, would you?"

"It's just one dove they're setting free. There'll be more."

There will be more. Right. That settled it, then.

"I suppose I'll see you later, then."

Crawly nodded. "Right. See you later."

And Aziraphale watched as the snake slithered off the table and through a hole in the wall. The dove looked out the window, waiting for his chance glide over the water again. Civilization wasn't going to rebuild itself, you know.


End file.
